October
| PLACE | DATE | SUMMARY OF EVENTS AND INFORMATION | REFERENCES TO APPENDICES |
|---|---|---|---|
| BULFORD, Wilts., England | 1 Oct 43 | Weather good with slight rain in the late part of the morning, but fair in the afternoon. Bn HQ and HQ Coy were out on a 10 mile forced march (Battle Order, two hours) and completed same successfully. Time and route were picqueted by the 'I' Sec. | Trace : see Vol 10. |
| 2 Oct 43 | Typical BULFORD weather today: cool and cloudy. A part of 'C' Coy took the 10 mile forced march. Being Saturday, all personnel were allowed 36 hrs leave. | ||
| 3 Oct 43 | Sunday again, cool and cloudy. Personnel who could not take advantage of the 36 hrs leave had a Church Parade, both Prot and RC. | ||
| 4 Oct 43 | Cloudy again and trg as per syllabus with the remainder of 'C' Coy doing the 10 mile march. The 'I' Sec policed the route. The YMCA Supervisor, Capt Plewman, had another movie in the gym in the evening and there was a good attendance. | ||
| 5 Oct 43 | Weather getting colder each day and clouds persist. Today the Bn rehearsed a March Past which is scheduled for tomorrow for the Bde Comd's Inspection. Brigadier S.J.L. HILL, DSO, MC, is the comd of the 3 Para Bde. | ||
| 6 Oct 43 | Rain in the morning. Unfortunately the Inspection has been cancelled and everyone is disappointed as this was to be our first inspection by Brig HILL, apart from the quick visit he made with us at the Base Staging Camp when the Bn first arrived in England. | ||
| 7 Oct 43 | Today the sun shone all the time. Bn HQ took the 15 mile run (PT Kit, three hrs) as both the A/Tk Pl and 'C' Coy had done the day before. 'I' Sec checked route. | ||
| 8 Oct 43 | Clear and warm today and excellent conditions for the 15 mile run take by HQ Coy. | Trg Syllabus for W E 19th. | |
| 9 Oct 43 | Clear all day. Kit inspections for all coys were carried out. 'A' Coy was out on the ranges in the morning and in the afternoon HQ Coy were on the pistol range here in Camp. Sten gun trg is being caught up well on the pistol range. | ||
| 10 Oct 43 | Foggy weather for 'A' and HQ Coys on the ranges all day. Church Parades and, in the evening, movies which are both popular and well attended. | ||
| 11 Oct 43 | Fog gather in the Bulford Fields area in the mornings and is not dispersed till well on in the mornings, making an early start on the range difficult. 'A' Coy and part of 'B' Coy took the 15 mile run today and in the evening another movie was shown. | ||
| 12 Oct 43 | All personnel who had not completed the 10 mile forced march test did so today. This test is among the first of the physical tests of the Division which will include in later phases 50 mile marches in as little as 18 hrs. Short, quick moves in Battle Order are of course concentrated upon, as is the night trg. | ||
| 13 Oct 43 | More foggy weather today for 'A' and 'C' Coys and Bn HQ who were on the ranges all day. In addition to rifle, Bn HQ also fired the Sten. Brig HILL visited he ranges. The trial jumps with kit-bags were carried out today, 64 men dropping with this equipment. | Trg Syllabus for period 17-21 Oct. | |
| 14 Oct 43 | Trg as per syllabus today with the A/Tk Pl doing the 15 mile run in PT Kit at 2200 hrs. A movie in the evening was, as always, welcomed. Recreational facilities in BULFORD leave much to be desired and our own YMCA is doing a good job here in Camp. | ||
| 15 Oct 43 | Today was a good day all round on the ranges. HQ Coy and BN HQ fired the Bren. The evening brought another movie. | ||
| 16 Oct 43 | Saturday and an adm morning, though the remainder of HQ Coy fired the Bren. A dance was held in the gym in the evening, music being the skills of a few of our own musicians. We are trying hard to get our own orchestra made up though interest lags. Complaint: there were insufficient partners for every man to have one each at the dance. | ||
| 17 Oct 43 | Good Sunday weather. Kit-bag jumping by 32 men from each coy was a success only one injury: a sprained ankle. The a/c were Whitleys as usual and the Div DZ was used. | ||
| 18 Oct 43 | A clear day with trg as per syllabus and preparations for the 50 mile march made. Pay parade for all coys in the evening. | ||
| 19 Oct 43 | Clear weather dawned for the 50 mile march and at 1000 hrs the Bn moved off in AA formation, Maj NICKLIN the 2 IC, in command. 1200 hrs; lunch and 1 hrs rest. 1500 hrs: rain, continuing for 6 hrs. 1815 hrs: supper at the half-way mark. Due to rain and cold the rest period at this time was cut to 45 minutes and the march continued at 1900 hrs. Spirits were low at this time though the rations and hot drink made a remarkable difference in morale for an hour or two. The rain stopped at approximately 2300 hrs and the Bn was closed up in column of route as it was very dark. 2400 hrs: hot cocao and 35 minutes rest. | Trace : Appx 10. | |
| 20 Oct 43 | Clear and windy. Tps tired and cold and wet but morale improving. 0200 hrs: hot cocao and 30 minutes rest. March ended at the barracks at 0500 hrs and the remainder of the day was spent in rest. | ||
| 21 Oct 43 | Clear weather. No trg was carried out as all personnel were preparing for Bde leave of 10 days and the first priviledge leave for the Bn. Warrants for travel and ration cards were issued in the afternoon and a special train for Scotland left Bulford Siding at 2315 hrs. Most people felt this leave would be well deserved. A lot of things have been accomplished in this trg period just past. | ||
| 22 Oct 43 | Special train left for London at 0915 hrs. Rear Party consisting of 2 offrs and 42 ORs was left in Camp along with 1 offr and 3 ORs waiting to proceed on course. | ||
| 22 - 31 Oct 43 | Ten day priviledge leave on a bde basis. |
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